Vicarious execution support system, vicarious execution support method and program for vicarious execution support

ABSTRACT

To allow an agent to vicariously execute predetermined processing that is to be carried out with respect to a predetermined system on behalf of a principal who should perform the predetermined processing oneself, a request from the principal for the agent to carry out vicarious execution on behalf of the principal is accepted, and the details of the accepted request are registered. Further, a management number is assigned to the accepted request to manage the vicarious execution to be carried out by the agent, and the agent is informed of the assigned management number. When carrying out the vicarious execution, the agent is prompted to enter the management number. The vicarious execution carried out by the agent is managed on the basis of the entered management number and the management number assigned in advance to the request for the relevant vicarious execution.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a vicarious execution supportsystem and a vicarious execution support method that allow an agent tocarry out predetermined processing on behalf of a principal. The presentinvention also relates to a program for executing the above-describedvicarious execution support. More particularly, the present inventionrelates to a vicarious execution support system and a vicariousexecution support method that allow an agent to carry out cashdeposit/withdrawal processing with respect to an automatic tellermachine or the like installed at a financial institution, etc. on behalfof a principal. The present invention also relates to a program forexecuting the above-described vicarious execution support.

BACKGROUND ART

[0002] The processing of depositing or withdrawing cash from an ATM(Automatic Teller Machine) or the like installed at a financialinstitution, for example, is generally carried out by a person oneselfwho has an account with the financial institution. However, there arecases where the person (principal) who has the account does not performthe cash deposit/withdrawal processing oneself but asks another person(agent) to execute the desired processing on his or her behalf.

[0003] Conventionally, in such a case, the principal entrusts his or hercash card directly to the agent, and the agent carries out the desiredprocessing on behalf of the principal. However, the conventionalpractice that the agent uses the cash card on behalf of the principalinvolves the danger of leakage of the personal identification number andis therefore problematic in terms of security. Further, the delivery ofthe cash card and so forth require a great deal of time and labor,preventing the processing from being performed speedily.

[0004] Further, the conventional practice has the problem that while theagent is keeping the cash card, the principal cannot use it and hencecannot readily deposit or withdraw cash, disadvantageously.

[0005] The present invention was made to solve these problems.Accordingly, the present invention provides a vicarious executionsupport system and a vicarious execution support method that enablevicarious execution of high reliability to be performed without the needto entrust one's cash card to another person, and also provides aprogram for executing the above-described vicarious execution support.Further, the present invention provides a vicarious execution supportsystem and a vicarious execution support method that are capable ofpreventing an unauthorized transaction by supervising the processingvicariously executed and informing the client of the result of theprocessing, and also provides a program for executing theabove-described vicarious execution support.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The present invention provides a vicarious execution supportsystem for allowing an agent to vicariously execute predeterminedprocessing that is to be carried out with respect to a predeterminedsystem on behalf of a principal who should perform the predeterminedprocessing oneself. The vicarious execution support system ischaracterized by including: an acceptance section that accepts a requestfrom the principal for the agent to carry out vicarious execution onbehalf of the principal; a request registration section that registersthe details of the request accepted by the acceptance section; amanagement number assigning section that assigns a management number tothe request accepted by the acceptance section to manage the vicariousexecution to be carried out by the agent; an informing section thatinforms the agent of the management number assigned by the managementnumber assigning section; a first input section that allows the agent toenter the management number; and a management section that manages thevicarious execution carried out by the agent on the basis of themanagement number assigned by the management number assigning sectionand the management number entered through the first input section.

[0007] With this arrangement, when the agent is asked to withdraw cashat a financial institution on behalf of the principal, for example, theagent can carry out the vicarious execution without the need to borrowthe cash card from the principal. Accordingly, it is possible to savethe time and labor otherwise spent in delivering the cash card and hencepossible to carry out speedy processing. In addition, there is no dangerof leakage of the personal identification number or the like. Thus, thevicarious execution support system is,superior in reliability.

[0008] It should be noted that in an embodiment of the presentinvention, the acceptance section comprises a transmission-receptionsection and a vicarious execution request acceptance section of a bankhost. The request registration section comprises a database of the bankhost. The management number assigning section comprises a managementnumber assigning section of the bank host. The informing sectioncomprises the management number assigning section and thetransmission-reception section of the bank host. The first input sectioncomprises a management number input section of an ATM terminal and avicarious execution management section of the bank host. The managementsection comprises the vicarious execution management section of the bankhost.

[0009] Further, the vicarious execution support system according to thepresent invention is characterized in that the management sectioncompares the management number assigned by the management numberassigning section and the management number entered through the firstinput section and authenticates the agent on the basis of the result ofthe comparison.

[0010] With the above-described arrangement, it is possible toauthenticate the agent when vicariously executing the processing onbehalf of the principal. Consequently, the reliability of vicariousexecution is improved.

[0011] In addition, the vicarious execution support system according tothe present invention is characterized by further including: aninformation registration section that registers predeterminedinformation decided by mutual agreement between the principal and theagent; and a second input section that allows the agent to enter thepredetermined information. The management section authenticates theagent on the basis of the predetermined information registered in theinformation registration section and the predetermined informationentered through the second input section.

[0012] With the above-described arrangement, the agent can beauthenticated on the basis of extra information in addition to themanagement number. Therefore, reliability is improved markedly, and anunauthorized transaction can be prevented.

[0013] It should be noted that in an embodiment of the presentinvention, the predetermined information corresponds to an agentpassword, and the information registration section comprises thedatabase. The second input section comprises a password input section ofthe ATM terminal and the vicarious execution management section of thebank host.

[0014] Further, the vicarious execution support system according to thepresent invention is characterized in that when vicarious executionusing the management number has been carried out, the management sectioninforms the principal of the result of the execution.

[0015] If the vicarious execution support system is arranged to informthe principal of the result of the vicarious execution as stated above,the principal can check whether or not the vicarious execution has beencarried out normally. Therefore, the reliability of the vicariousexecution is improved, and an unauthorized transaction can be prevented.

[0016] Further, the vicarious execution support system according to thepresent invention is characterized in that the details of the requestinclude at least one of information concerning the agent, the details ofprocessing to be vicariously executed by the agent, an amount of moneythat can be handled by the agent, and the term of validity of vicariousexecution to be carried out by the agent.

[0017] With the above-described arrangement, it is possible at thesystem side to grasp the details of the processing to be vicariouslyexecuted. Therefore, it is possible to vicariously execute the desiredprocessing speedily simply by entering the management number.Accordingly, the agent can vicariously execute the processing reliablyand easily. At the system side, it is possible to perform detailedmanagement according to the details of the processing to be vicariouslyexecuted, e.g. permission of or limitation on the vicarious execution.

[0018] It should be noted that in an embodiment of the presentinvention, the details of the request are stored in a management file Bon a personal management file in the database.

[0019] Further, the vicarious execution support system according to thepresent invention is characterized in that the vicarious execution to becarried out by the agent includes cash deposit/withdrawal processingthat is carried out with respect to a financial institution.

[0020] If the vicarious execution includes cash deposit/withdrawalprocessing carried out to a financial institution as stated above, it ispossible to support vicarious execution with high reliability,particularly in handling of cash that requires authentication.

[0021] In addition, the present invention provides a vicarious executionsupport method for allowing an agent to vicariously executepredetermined processing that is to be carried out with respect to apredetermined system on behalf of a principal who should perform thepredetermined processing oneself. The vicarious execution support methodis characterized by including: an acceptance step of accepting a requestfrom the principal for the agent to carry out vicarious execution onbehalf of the principal; a request registration step of registering thedetails of the request accepted at the acceptance step; a managementnumber assigning step of assigning a management number to the requestaccepted at the acceptance step to manage the vicarious execution to becarried out by the agent; an informing step of informing the agent ofthe management number assigned at the management number assigning step;an input step of prompting the agent to enter the management number; anda management step of managing the vicarious execution carried out by theagent on the basis of the management number assigned at the managementnumber assigning step and the management number entered at the inputstep.

[0022] In addition, the present invention provides a vicarious executionsupport program that instructs a computer to execute vicarious executionsupport for allowing an agent to vicariously execute predeterminedprocessing that is to be carried out with respect to a predeterminedsystem on behalf of a principal who should perform the predeterminedprocessing oneself. The vicarious execution support program ischaracterized by instructing the computer to execute processingincluding: an acceptance step of accepting a request from the principalfor the agent to carry out vicarious execution on behalf of theprincipal; a request registration step of registering the details of therequest accepted at the acceptance step; a management number assigningstep of assigning a management number to the request accepted at theacceptance step to manage the vicarious execution to be carried out bythe agent; an informing step of informing the agent of the managementnumber assigned at the management number assigning step; an input stepof prompting the agent to enter the management number; and a managementstep of managing the vicarious execution carried out by the agent on thebasis of the management number assigned at the management numberassigning step and the management number entered at the input step.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023]FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the arrangement of a vicariousexecution support system according to an embodiment of the presentinvention and the flow of vicarious execution processing.

[0024]FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing in detail the respectivearrangements of a bank host and an ATM terminal in the vicariousexecution support system.

[0025]FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the arrangement of a personalmanagement file in a database of the bank host and also showing thecontents of the personal management file.

[0026]FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing vicarious execution serviceregistration processing.

[0027]FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing vicarious execution service requestaccepting processing.

[0028]FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing management number assigningprocessing.

[0029]FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing management number acceptingprocessing.

[0030]FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing management number verificationprocessing.

[0031]FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing password verification processing andchecking processing concerning the details of processing to bevicariously executed.

[0032]FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing vicarious execution completioninforming processing.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0033] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below indetail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0034] This embodiment shows an example of a vicarious execution supportsystem arranged as follows. When a person (principal) having an accountwith a bank asks another person (agent) to deposit or withdraw cash fromthe principal's account on behalf of the principal, a bank host thatmanages the account on the bank side accepts a vicarious executionrequest from the principal and assigns a vicarious execution processingmanagement number (hereinafter referred to as “management number”) tothe vicarious execution request. The agent carries out the vicariousexecution by using the management number acquired from the bank host.The bank host informs the principal of the result of the vicariouslyexecuted processing. Hereinafter, the principal will be referred to as“client”.

[0035]FIG. 1 is a diagram showing in detail the vicarious executionsupport system according to this embodiment and the flow of theabove-described vicarious execution processing. In FIG. 1, a client 1has a client terminal 2 to make communication connection to a bank host5 through a network 7, e.g. Internet. An agent 3 who actually carriesout vicarious execution at the request of the client 1 has an agentterminal 4 to make communication connection to the bank host 5 throughthe network 7. The bank host 5 is connected through the network 7 to anATM terminal 6 installed at a bank to transmit and receive various data.

[0036]FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing in detail the respectivearrangements of the bank host 5 and the ATM terminal 6. The bank host 5has the following sections. A transmission-reception section 10 performsdata transmission and reception between the bank host 5 and an externaldevice through the network 7. A database 15 stores client data, agentdata and the details of processing to be vicariously executed, togetherwith management numbers. A vicarious execution service registrationsection 11 stores into the database 15 an input screen for the client 1to make registration for using a vicarious execution service to the bankhost 5 and also stores into the database 15 information concerning theclient at the time of registration. A vicarious execution requestacceptance section 12 accepts the details of a vicarious executionrequest for the agent from the client terminal 2 and registers thedetails of the vicarious execution request into the database 15. Amanagement number assigning section 13 assigns a management number tothe vicarious execution request accepted by the vicarious executionrequest acceptance section 12, registers the assigned management numberinto the database 15 and informs the agent terminal 4 of the assignedmanagement number. A vicarious execution management section 14 managesvicarious execution processing carried out at the ATM terminal 6 whilereferring to the database 15.

[0037] The ATM terminal 6 has the following sections. Atransmission-reception section 20 performs data transmission andreception between the ATM terminal 6 and an external device through thenetwork 7. A management number input section 21 provides an input screenfor entering a management number when the agent vicariously executesprocessing and informs the vicarious execution management section 14 ofthe bank host 5 of the entered management number through thetransmission-reception section 20 and the network 7. A password inputsection 22 provides an input screen for entering an agent password andinforms the vicarious execution management section 14 of the bank host 5of the entered agent password through the transmission-reception section20 and the network 7. A cash deposit/withdrawal processing section 23performs deposit and withdrawal of cash.

[0038] Further, the database 15 creates a personal management file 30 asshown in FIG. 3 for each registered account and stores data necessaryfor vicarious execution into each file. In the figure, the personalmanagement file 30 comprises four files: a client account file(hereinafter referred to as “management file A”) storing client accountinformation; a request detail file (hereinafter referred to as“management file B”) storing the details of a client's vicariousexecution request; a management number file (hereinafter referred to as“management file C”) storing a management number; and a processing stateflag file (hereinafter referred to as “management file D”) showing thestate of vicarious execution with flags.

[0039] Based on the above-described arrangement, the operation of thevicarious execution support system according to this embodiment will bedescribed below in detail. First, in FIG. 1, the client 1 executesregistration processing to the bank host 5 to use a bank vicariousexecution service [(1) in FIG. 1].

[0040] The specific processing contents of the registration processingare shown in FIG. 4. The client 1 connects the client terminal 2 to thenetwork 7, e.g. Internet, and accesses a vicarious execution servicescreen from the homepage of the bank host 5 (S100). The vicariousexecution service registration screen (not shown) is provided by thevicarious execution service registration section 11. On the registrationscreen, the client 1 enters the number of an account in relation towhich vicarious execution is to be performed (S101) and also enters thepersonal identification number corresponding to the account number(S102). When the entry of the necessary items of data has been completedand the data has been transmitted, the transmission-reception section 10receives the data and sends it to the vicarious execution serviceregistration section 11. The vicarious execution service registrationsection 11 stores the data into the database 15 (S103). In the database15, a personal management file 30 is created, and the entered accountnumber is written to the management file A, as shown in FIG. 3. Theother information entered by the client is managed in another table forwhich a relationship to the management file A has been set. When theinformation has been stored in the database 15 in this way, theregistration processing is completed (S104).

[0041] After the vicarious execution service registration has beencompleted, the client 1 can ask the agent 3 to carry out vicariousexecution on his or her behalf by transmitting a vicarious executionrequest to the bank host 5. In advance of transmitting the request tothe bank host 5, the client 1 needs to decide an agent password, whichis necessary for authentication of the agent 3 when acting on behalf ofthe client 1, by mutual agreement between the client 1 and the agent 3[(2) in FIG. 1].

[0042] After deciding the agent password, the client 1 transmits to thebank host the details of processing that the client 1 asks the agent 3to carry out on his or her behalf, and requests the bank host to managethe relevant processing to be vicariously executed by the agent 3 [(3)in FIG. 1]. The transmission of the request is effected by entering thedetails of the request into a form (not shown) displayed on a vicariousexecution service request screen of the homepage of the bank host 5.

[0043] The specific processing contents are shown in FIG. 5. The client1 connects the client terminal 2 to the network 7 and accesses thevicarious execution service request screen from the homepage of the bankhost 5 (S200). The vicarious execution service request screen isprovided by the vicarious execution request acceptance section 12. Onthe request screen the client 1 enters the number of the account inrelation to which vicarious execution is to be performed (S201) and alsoenters the personal identification number corresponding to the accountnumber (S202). Further, the client 1 enters the following informationaccording to the form displayed on the screen so that the necessaryitems of data are stored in the management file B: an amount of moneythat can be handled by the agent 3; the term of validity of the relevantprocessing to be vicariously executed; the agent password decided bymutual agreement between the client 1 and the agent 3; information aboutwhether or not the client 1 wants to be informed of the completion ofthe vicarious execution and the details of the vicariously executedprocessing; and agent information (e-mail address, telephone number,etc.). By entering each item of data, the details of the processing tobe vicariously executed are determined. When the entry of data has beencompleted and the data has been transmitted, the transmission-receptionsection 10 receives the data and sends it to the vicarious executionrequest acceptance section 12. The details of the accepted request areregistered in the relevant management file B in the database 15 by thevicarious execution request acceptance section 12 (S203). Thus, therequest acceptance is completed (S204).

[0044] It should be noted that if “YES” is marked in the column askingwhether or not the client 1 wants to be informed of the completion ofthe vicarious execution and the details of the vicariously executedprocessing, the client 1 is informed, after the completion of thevicarious execution, of the completion of the vicarious execution andthe details of the vicariously executed processing (including the dateof processing, the amount of money, etc.) actually carried out by theagent 3.

[0045] Next, the management number assigning section 13 of the bank host5 assigns a management number to the request accepted from the client 1[(4) in FIG. 1]. The specific processing contents are shown in FIG. 6.The management number assigning section 13 of the bank host 5 encryptsthe agent password written on the management file B and the managementfile number (S300). It should be noted that the term “management filenumber” means a number that the bank host 5 uses for various processingoperations, which is uniquely determined in correspondence to eachpersonal management file 30. Management file numbers are assigned tomanagement files in order as shown in FIG. 3, i.e. “management file 1”,“management file 2”, “management file 3”, and so forth. A managementnumber for managing vicarious execution processing is determined fromthe data encrypted in this way (S301).

[0046] It should be noted that the processing at S300 may be replaced byprocessing whereby the management file number concerning the details ofprocessing to be vicariously executed is encrypted on the agentpassword. There is no restriction on the processing method forencryption. When the management number has been-determined, it iswritten to the management file C (S302). Further, an “unfinished” flagon the management file D is set ON (S303).

[0047] Further, the management number assigning section 13 transmits thedetermined management number in the form of e-mail to the agent terminal4 from the transmission-reception section 10 to inform the agent 3 ofthe management number [(5) in FIG. 1]. The management number assigningsection 13 also informs the client 1 that the agent 3 has been informedof the management number [(6) in FIG. 1]. This notification is also madein the form of e-mail. It should be noted that the notification of themanagement number and the notification to the client may be made bytelephone or the like instead of e-mail. There is no specificrestriction on the form of notification.

[0048] The agent 3 who has acquired the management number and the agentpassword can carry out the vicarious execution. The flow of processingin a case where the agent 3 executes the processing of withdrawing cashfrom the ATM terminal 6 of the bank (hereinafter referred to as “cashwithdrawal processing”) on behalf of the client 1 will be describedbelow with reference to the drawings. The agent 3 goes to the ATMterminal 6 of the bank and enters the management number from amanagement number input screen (not shown) provided by the managementnumber input section 21 of the ATM terminal 6 [(7) in FIG. 1]. When themanagement number is entered, the management number input section 21informs the vicarious execution management section 14 of the bank host 5of the entered management number from the transmission-reception section20 through the network 7 [(8) in FIG. 1]. The reported management numberis retrieved by the vicarious execution management section 14 [(9) inFIG. 1].

[0049]FIG. 7 shows the details of retrieval processing carried out bythe vicarious execution management section 14. First, the vicariousexecution management section 14 decrypts the received management number(S400). The decryption is performed because the management number isdata created by encrypting the agent password and the management filenumber at the above-described step S300. Next, the decrypted data isseparated into an agent password part and a management file number part(S401). Then, the management file number separated and thus extracted isretrieved from the database 15 (S402).

[0050] The result of the retrieval is reported to the ATM terminal 6[(10) in FIG. 1]. FIG. 8 shows the details of retrieval result informingprocessing. If the management file number is present in the database 15(if YES at S500), the vicarious execution management section 14 informsthe ATM terminal 6 of the request for the agent password (S501). If themanagement file number is not present in the database 15 (if NO atS500), the vicarious execution management section 14 checks whether ornot the number of times the management number has been entered is within3. If the number of times the management number has been entered iswithin 3 (if YES at S502), the vicarious execution management section 14regards the processing operation as a data entry mistake and requeststhe agent 3 to enter the management number again (S503). If the numberof times the management number has been entered exceeds 3 (if NO atS502), the vicarious execution management section 14 judges that anunauthorized action has been conducted. Then, the vicarious executionmanagement section 14 stops the processing and informs the client 1 ofthis fact by e-mail, telephone or the like (S504). It should be notedthat the relevant personal management file 30 can be identified by theretrieved management file number.

[0051] The notice of the agent password request is received by thepassword input section 22 of the ATM terminal 6. The password inputsection 22 displays a password input screen (not shown) for the agent 3,and prompts the agent 3 to enter the password. When the password isentered by the agent 3 [(11) in FIG. 1], the password input section 22informs the vicarious execution management section 14 of the bank host 5of the entered password from the transmission-reception section 20through the network 7 [(12) in FIG. 1].

[0052] The reported password is verified by the vicarious executionmanagement section 14 [(13) in FIG. 1]. The details of verificationprocessing are shown in FIG. 9. The password decrypted at theabove-described step S400 and the password entered by the agent 3 arecompared with each other (S600). If the comparison result shows that thetwo passwords do not match each other (if NO at S600), it is checkedwhether or not the number of times the password has been entered iswithin 3 (S605). If the number of times the password has been entered iswithin 3 (if YES at S605), the vicarious execution management section 14regards the processing operation as a data entry mistake and requeststhe agent 3 to enter the password again (S606). If the number of timesthe password has been entered exceeds 3 (if NO at S605), the vicariousexecution management section 14 judges that an unauthorized action hasbeen conducted. Then, the vicarious execution management section 14stops the processing and informs the client 1 of this fact by e-mail,telephone or the like (S607).

[0053] If the result of the comparison made at S600 shows that the twopasswords match each other (if YES at S600), the vicarious executionmanagement section 14 refers to the “term of validity” column on thepersonal management file 30 to check whether or not the relevantvicarious execution is valid (S601). If the term of validity of thevicarious execution has already expired (if NO at S601), the vicariousexecution management section 14 instructs the ATM terminal 6 to displayan error message, and stops the processing (S608). If the term ofvalidity of the vicarious execution has not yet expired (if YES atS601), the vicarious execution management section 14 refers to the flagon the management file D of the personal management file 30 to checkwhether or not the relevant vicarious execution is unfinished (S602). Ifthe vicarious execution has already been carried out (if NO at S602),the vicarious execution management section 14 instructs the ATM terminal6 to display an error message, and stops the processing (S609). If thevicarious execution has not yet been carried out (if YES at S602), thevicarious execution management section 14 issues a cash withdrawalprocessing instruction to the ATM terminal 6 on the basis of the detailsof the processing to be vicariously executed, which have been written onthe personal management file 30 (S603). In response to the instruction,the cash deposit/withdrawal processing section 23 of the ATM terminal 6performs cash withdrawal processing according to the details of theprocessing to be vicariously executed [(14) in FIG. 1]. Further, thevicarious execution management section 14 of the bank host 5 sets a“finished” flag on the management file D of the relevant personalmanagement file 30 (S604).

[0054] After the completion of the vicariously executed processing, thevicarious execution management section 14 of the bank host 5 transmitsthe notice of vicarious execution completion to the client 1 [(15) inFIG. 1]. FIG. 10 shows the details of vicarious execution completioninforming processing. The vicarious execution management section 14checks the “want to be informed of completion and details of vicariousexecution” column on the management file B. If “YES” has been marked inthis column (if YES at S700), the vicarious execution management section14 informs the client 1 of the completion of the vicarious execution andthe details of the vicariously executed processing in the form of e-mailor the like (S701). Then, the vicarious execution processing isterminated (S702). If “NO” has been entered in the above-describedcolumn (if NO at S700), the vicarious execution management section 14terminates the processing without informing the client 1 of anything(S702).

[0055] As has been stated above, this embodiment allows the agent towithdraw cash on behalf of the client by using the management numberwithout the need to borrow the cash card from the client. In addition,the vicarious execution itself can be readily performed simply byentering the management number. That is, in response to the entry of themanagement number, the bank host issues an instruction to the ATMterminal on the basis of the details of the vicarious execution requestwritten on the personal management file. Therefore, the cash withdrawalprocessing is executed speedily. Thus, the agent can vicariously executethe processing easily.

[0056] It should be noted that in the foregoing embodiment security isensured by informing the client of the occurrence of an abnormalsituation when the management number or the password entered at the ATMterminal is false. In this regard, the reliability of the system can beincreased by employing another method. For example, the system isarranged to enable the bank host to judge whether or not an abnormalsituation has occurred by the way in which the password is entered.

[0057] More specifically, the system may be arranged as follows. If anextra two-digit numeral, character string or the like is added to thetail end of the password when entered, it is judged that an abnormalsituation has occurred, and this is automatically reported to the bankhost. For example, when the client is forced to transmit anunintentional vicarious execution request by intimidation, for example,the client tells the intimidator the password with a two-digit randomcharacter string added thereto, or the client oneself enters thepassword with a two-digit character string added thereto, whereby it ispossible to report the occurrence of an abnormal situation to the bankhost. When an abnormal situation has occurred during the vicariousexecution of processing by the agent, also, if a two-digit characterstring is added to the password in the same as the above, it is possibleto report the occurrence of the abnormal situation. It should be notedthat even if a password with a two-digit character string added theretois used, the vicarious execution request processing or the vicariousexecution processing is outwardly normal and executed smoothly withouthindrance.

[0058] It is even more preferable to arrange the system such that theclient can designate whether or not he or she needs such report serviceat the time of vicarious execution service registration. For example, acolumn for setting “security mode” is provided on the vicariousexecution service registration screen, and the system is arranged suchthat if the client enters “ON” in the column, the report service can beobtained.

[0059] Although the embodiment has been described above in detail, theflow of vicarious execution processing and the arrangement and operationof the vicarious execution support system that have been described inthe foregoing embodiment are merely an example for implementing thepresent invention. The arrangement of the system is not particularlylimited to the foregoing but may be modified appropriately for eachparticular application without departing from the gist of the presentinvention, as a matter of course.

[0060] Industrial Applicability:

[0061] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide aspeedy and highly reliable vicarious execution service without requiringthe client to entrust one's cash card to another person. The client canask another person to carry out vicarious execution on his or her behalfeven more easily than in the past. Similarly, the agent can perform thevicarious execution even more easily than in the past. Further, anunauthorized transaction can be prevented because it is possible tosupervise the processing vicariously executed and to inform the clientof the processing result.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vicarious execution support system for allowingan agent to vicariously execute predetermined processing that is to becarried out with respect to a predetermined system on behalf of aprincipal who should perform said predetermined processing oneself, saidvicarious execution support system comprising: an acceptance sectionthat accepts a request from the principal for the agent to carry outvicarious execution on behalf of the principal; a request registrationsection that registers details of the request accepted by saidacceptance section; a management number assigning section that assigns amanagement number to the request accepted by said acceptance section tomanage the vicarious execution to be carried out by the agent; aninforming section that informs the agent of the management numberassigned by said management number assigning section; a first inputsection that allows the agent to enter said management number; and amanagement section that manages the vicarious execution carried out bythe agent on a basis of the management number assigned by saidmanagement number assigning section and the management number enteredthrough said first input section.
 2. A vicarious execution supportsystem according to claim 1, wherein said management section comparesthe management number assigned by said management number assigningsection and the management number entered through said first inputsection and authenticates the agent on a basis of a result of thecomparison.
 3. A vicarious execution support system according to claim1, further comprising: an information registration section thatregisters predetermined information decided by mutual agreement betweenthe principal and the agent; and a second input section that allows theagent to enter said predetermined information; wherein said managementsection authenticates the agent on a basis of the predeterminedinformation registered in said information registration section and thepredetermined information entered through said second input section. 4.A vicarious execution support system according to claim 1, wherein whenvicarious execution using the management number has been carried out,said management section informs the principal of a result of theexecution.
 5. A vicarious execution support system according to claim 1,wherein the details of said request include at least one of informationconcerning the agent, details of processing to be vicariously executedby the agent, an amount of money that can be handled by the agent, and aterm of validity of vicarious execution to be carried out by the agent.6. A vicarious execution support system according to claim 1, whereinthe vicarious execution to be carried out by the agent includes cashdeposit/withdrawal processing that is carried out with respect to afinancial institution.
 7. A vicarious execution support method forallowing an agent to vicariously execute predetermined processing thatis to be carried out with respect to a predetermined system on behalf ofa principal who should perform said predetermined processing oneself,said vicarious execution support method comprising: an acceptance stepof accepting a request from the principal for the agent to carry outvicarious execution on behalf of the principal; a request registrationstep of registering details of the request accepted at said acceptancestep; a management number assigning step of assigning a managementnumber to the request accepted at said acceptance step to manage thevicarious execution to be carried out by the agent; an informing step ofinforming the agent of the management number assigned at said managementnumber assigning step; an input step of prompting the agent to enter themanagement number; and a management step of managing the vicariousexecution carried out by the agent on a basis of the management numberassigned at said management number assigning step and the managementnumber entered at said input step.
 8. A vicarious execution supportprogram that instructs a computer to execute vicarious execution supportfor allowing an agent to vicariously execute predetermined processingthat is to be carried out with respect to a predetermined system onbehalf of a principal who should perform said predetermined processingoneself, said vicarious execution support program instructing thecomputer to execute processing comprising: an acceptance step ofaccepting a request from the principal for the agent to carry outvicarious execution on behalf of the principal; a request registrationstep of registering details of the request accepted at said acceptancestep; a management number assigning step of assigning a managementnumber to the request accepted at said acceptance step to managevicarious execution to be carried out by the agent; an informing step ofinforming the agent of the management number assigned at said managementnumber assigning step; an input step of prompting the agent to enter themanagement number; and a management step of managing the vicariousexecution carried out by the agent on a basis of the management numberassigned at said management number assigning step and the managementnumber entered at said input step.